Travels of a Yogi: Ayurveda 101

Greetings from the Somatheeram Ayurvedic Health Resort in Kerala, India! In previous posts on Facebook or Twitter, some of you may have seen me mention Ayurveda and asked yourself, Ayur-what??? Broken down, AYUR means “life” and VEDA means “science,” so literally, the science of life. Ayurveda is a scientific system that uses mostly plants and herbs to treat common ailments and to keep the body functioning optimally. Ayurveda is a form of medicine that is approximately 5,000 years old. In Ayurveda, every living thing is made of of 5 basic eternal elements:

1. Earth
2. Water
3. Fire
4. Air
5. Ether

These elements are present in each person, but to varying degrees. The elements are broken down into what is called our body’s “constitution.” The constitutions are then further broken down into what are known as Doshas. There are three Doshas:

1. Vatta
2. Pitta
3. Kapha

Each Dosha carries different properties, functions and present themselves in different places of the body.

Hmmmm…any of these sound like you How can you know for sure? You can visit one of my favorite websites and answer a questionnaire to learn what your Dosha is and how to care for it to keep you body in balance. More on our Ayurvedic treatments in my next blog.

To learn what Dosha you are, please visit: http://doshaquiz.chopra.com